The China Southern Airlines Company Limited finalized to open a Dhaka-Guangzhou flight on Aug. 2, almost a month later than their earlier plan to open the route on July 5.

Gao Bo, China Southern Airlines Bangladesh representative, told Xinhua on Tuesday, all the processes have finished and they already started to sell tickets in Bangladesh from July 10.

"We couldn't open the flight on July 5 because the Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authorities didn't complete concerned formalities on time which led to the delay," he said.

According to Gao Bo, there will be 3 flights at the beginning. "We fly from Guangzhou to Dhaka on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday and fly from Dhaka to Guangzhou on Monday, Wednesday and Friday," he said.

Gao Bo said, "We sell the return tickets from Dhaka-Guangzhou with some concession for the first two months. The total prize of a Dhaka-Guangzhou return ticket with tax is 38,000 taka (about US$543). After two months, the price will increase around US$50."

Gao Bo said the plane flying Guangzhou-Dhaka is Boeing 737-800, and the flying time is around 3 and a half hours.

Mofizur Rahman, managing director of NovoAir, Bangladeshi General Sales Agent of China Southern, told Xinhua in an interview earlier the economic relationship between China and Bangladesh has developed a lot during the last few years, and more and more Bangladeshi businessmen are doing business with China.

"The opening of Dhaka-Guangzhou flight will provide convenience to those businessmen as most of their businesses are based in southern China," he said.

"Every year more than 10,000 Bangladeshis participate in the Canton Fair. It will be easy for the Bangladeshi participants to go to the Canton Fair if the Dhaka-Guangzhou route opens," he added.

In 2005, the China Eastern Airlines landed in Bangladesh with the opening of the Dhaka-Kunming flight.]

(Xinhua News Agency July 14, 2009)